Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Brazilian state-owned energy giant Petrobras have signed a charter contract for the SeaLoader 2 cargo transfer vessel (CTV) and agreed to begin negotiations for a new CTV shipbuilding contract by the end of 2024 .
MOL signed the agreement through its wholly owned subsidiary, SeaLoading Holding, which owns and operates CTVs.
SeaLoading initiated a CTV agreement with Petrobras for SeaLoader 2 on a trial basis in January 2022, and has successfully completed more than 30 crude oil offloading operations from Petrobras FPSOs located in the Santos Basin, Brazil, transferring the cargo to vessels- tank.
The tests involved vessels up to VLCC size, according to the MOL.
After the successful conclusion of the experimental contract, proving the efficiency and reliability of the CTV technology, the vessel was signed in 2023 with Petrobras under a temporary charter contract.
Now SeaLoading has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Petrobras to begin negotiations for a new CTV construction by the end of 2024.
Crude oil produced in offshore fields by a floating production, storage and offloading system (FPSO) is typically transported to the demand area via oil tankers, which in most cases requires DP tankers with special equipment of cargo movement to first receive the crude oil. crude oil and transport it to an oil storage terminal or flat water where it can be unloaded (or transhipped) and then reloaded onto an oil tanker.
In the case of CTV, crude oil can be loaded directly from the FPSO to the tanker by connecting a CTV between an FPSO and the tanker. This dramatically increases the efficiency of crude oil logistics.
There are currently only two CTVs in the world, all owned by SeaLoading, which holds the patent for CTV technology.
The use of CTV could also allow a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the transfer of crude oil by DP tankers.
Specifically, CTVs are expected to achieve a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions off the Brazilian coast compared to using a DP tanker for offloading in the Santos basin, and around 80% when used off the coast of Uruguay, according to MOL. which pointed out that the said reduction rate will vary depending on the actual CTV and DP tanker loading/unloading, fuel consumption, sea conditions, and so on.
